BBQ Tempeh Salad with Vegan Ranch Dressing

The synergy between hearty BBQ tempeh croutons and crisp salad veggies dressed in creamy vegan ranch dressing is most appealing. First presented as one of our Vegan Dinner Hacks, paired with sweet potato fries, this is a more formal recipe. But not so formal that you have to follow this recipe precisely — far from it. The barbecue-flavored tempeh croutons make any salad hearty and satisfying; you can vary the kinds of salad veggies here as you’d like.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet and sauté over medium heat, stirring often, until beginning to get golden brown.

Add 1/2 cup of the barbecue sauce and sauté, covered (otherwise it might splatter) until the sauce is reduced and starting to brown here and there to coat the tempeh, about 8 minutes. Stir in the remaining sauce and continue to cook for another minute or two. Remove from the heat.